Many of the Jackson method adherents are just looking at a few of the characteristics of the wild hoof specimens Jackson published, particularly toe length and angle, and ignoring a lot of the other features of these specimens. Please study this photo of a wild horse hoof cross-section that Jackson published in his newsletter:

http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/mustang_roll.jpg courtesy of Gretchen Fathauer

This shows that natural wear on abrasive terrain has actually backed up the point of breakover considerably, and dubbed the toe somewhat. When the toe is backed up in this fashion, the apparent toe angle steepens and the apparent toe length shortens...WITHOUT SHORTENING THE TOE FROM THE BOTTOM.

For more photos of Jackson's wild horse specimens, although the comments are actually belied by the photographs themselves, see:

http://www.tribeequus.com/wildfeet.html

Another photo of one of Jackson's wild horse hoof specimens, actually an x-ray, shows that the coffin bone is ground-parallel. This also was published in his newsletter.

http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/wild_horse_xray.jpg courtesy of Gretchen Fathauer

Many of the people claiming to be doing Jackson's method are leaving higher heels to get higher toe angles instead of backing up the toe profile as seen in the mustang specimens, thicker soles (like a moonsickle of sole in the quarters, too), overlaid bars, etc. They are also advocating a mustang roll done in the quarters on horses in soft terrain, which can lead to contraction. Simple physics would explain why a wedged shape sinking into soft ground would push the sides inward, and why a straight up and down edge would not have a wedge effect.

If you study the wild horse specimens on this URL, http://www.tribeequus.com/wildfeet.html you will see that:

1. Hairlines are sloped close to 30 degrees.
2. While the hairlines are not straight, it must also be remembered that this specimen IS NOT BEARING WEIGHT, which makes a considerable difference. In a hoof the has hoof mechanism, the bulged hairline, as seen from the side, goes down during weightbearing. See this animation of hoof mechanism that I made from 2 illustrations in Strasser's work:
   


http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/hoof_mechanism_movie.gif courtesy of Gretchen Fathauer


3. Soles are concaved out almost to the white line in the quarters, not 3/4" inside it. These feet have considerable concavity. This follows the form of the underlying structure:
   



http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/bones_frogs_corium.jpg courtesy of Gretchen Fathauer


4. Frogs are not protruding and bulbous.
5. Heels are low.
6. If the toes were NOT dubbed by natural wear, the toe lengths would measure longer and the toe angles would measure lower, as measured by farrier toe angle protractors and rulers (in other words, external measuring devices, such as what Jackson had to use in his field studies of wild horses).
7. The wild horse hoof specimen x-ray from Jackson's newsletter shows a ground-parallel coffin bone.
8. Bars are short and NOT overlaid. This specimen does have darker sole pigmentation around the frog, but this is not the same thing as a folded over bar. Note that the bars are straight and short, not long and curving as they would be if they were overlaid.
9. The quarters are naturally scooped a little.

What I am saying here is the opposite of many of the comments added to the photos on http://www.tribeequus.com/wildfeet.html , though. If you look at the photos closely, you can see that they do not illustrate all the comments tacked onto them.

I am getting tired of all the emphasis on the differences between Jackson and Strasser. Jackson's wild horse specimens are not so far from Strasser's ideas in many ways. I think it would be more profitable to focus on what points are in common. All this infighting strikes me as silly.

Much is made in some circles of Strasser being a butcher, trimming down to blood routinely, etc. This is not what Strasser herself advocates.

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© 2002 - 2007 by The Naked Hoof Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of these publications may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher and/or authors. The information and products contained within these webpages and articles are intended for educational purposes only, and not for diagnosing or medicinally prescribing in any way. Readers are cautioned to seek expert advice from a qualified health professional before pursuing any form of treatment on their animals. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

Last edited: 30 June, 2007
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